In the second semester of their second year, Qiao Wei stared blankly at her report card.
From the moment the teacher had praised her in class all the way until she walked out the school gate, she was still dazed.
The first thing she did when she came to her senses was grab A Xin's arm and ask in disbelief,
"Wait—did I really get first place in the whole grade?"
"Mm. First place," A Xin replied with a faint smile.
The gentle curve of her lips was mostly hidden behind her heavy bangs and thick-rimmed glasses, but Qiao Wei saw it—A Xin was smiling.
Qiao Wei grinned so wide her cheeks hurt. Exhaling a long breath, she laughed and hugged A Xin's arm.
"Yun Xin, I'm first in the grade!"
"Mm."
"Ugh—what kind of reaction is that?"
Her tiny burst of pride deflated instantly.
"Hey, I beat you, you know! Can't you at least pretend to look shocked?"
A Xin adjusted her expression, her smile widening a little.
"Congratulations, Qiao Wei."
Qiao Wei slumped her shoulders dramatically and shook A Xin's arm.
"You make it feel so anticlimactic."
She glanced down at the class ranking list again.
A Xin was in second place—the overall number two in the entire grade.
Qiao Wei wanted to see how far ahead she was, but the moment she saw the number, her smile froze.
One point.
Just one point ahead.
Her grin vanished. Folding the report card, she muttered,
"I get it now—you don't even care about that one-point difference, do you?
Fine then, Yun Xin, just wait. Next time I'll beat you by a lot. At least two points!"
A Xin only smiled in silence. Qiao Wei was used to that quiet calm by now.
They'd been friends for over a year already.
Qiao Wei had shot up in height, while A Xin remained her petite one-sixty.
Unable to resist, Qiao Wei reached out and patted her on the head.
"Yun Xin, have you been picky with food lately? You haven't grown at all."
She draped an arm over A Xin's shoulders and pulled her close, looking down at her from above.
Seeing A Xin's composed face, Qiao Wei sighed.
"You realize you look like a little housewife right now, don't you?"
Then, at such close distance, she suddenly noticed how flawless A Xin's skin was—
pale with a healthy pink glow, smooth as porcelain.
Her eyes were clear and bright, always carrying that quiet warmth and steadiness that made people feel safe.
Thick, neat brows. Big, vivid eyes. A delicate nose.
What would she look like if someone brushed away those bangs and took off the glasses?
The thought struck so suddenly that Qiao Wei's hand moved on its own—
but before she could lift the bangs, A Xin caught her wrist.
Caught red-handed, Qiao Wei pouted.
"Yun Xin, we're about to start senior year—don't you want a change of look?
Maybe ditch these bangs, lose the thick glasses, try contacts?"
"All I want to focus on now is studying," A Xin said seriously.
Whether she meant it or not, Qiao Wei was inclined to believe her.
"Fine, fine," Qiao Wei sighed.
"After the college entrance exam, I'm dragging you to get a new hairstyle.
And new clothes too! You're a girl—you can't just keep dressing like this forever."
She touched A Xin's cheek and gasped.
"Wow, your skin is so soft! What skincare do you use?
You don't like makeup, but you must take care of your face. Tell me your secret!"
"Baby cream."
"…What?"
Qiao Wei blinked, thinking she'd misheard.
But A Xin's calm face said she was serious.
"Baby… cream? Are you sure that's what works so well?"
"It works fine for me."
Qiao Wei's curiosity was instantly piqued.
She pinched A Xin's cheek again—so smooth, so soft—and decided right then she'd buy baby cream too.
After using it for several days and seeing absolutely no improvement,
she gave up.
Still, ever since discovering how perfect A Xin's skin was,
she couldn't resist touching her face now and then.
A Xin never stopped her—she just let Qiao Wei be.
Their closeness grew until everyone in school knew:
the number-one and number-two students were inseparable.
Qiao Wei had thought that one-point difference last time was just coincidence.
Surely next exam she'd surpass A Xin by more—or A Xin would surpass her.
But no matter how many times they took tests afterward,
A Xin was always exactly one point behind her.
Forever the school's "Eternal Number Two."
⸻
Ever since Lin Xiao'ai's costume scandal and her downfall,
Qiao Wei's image had recovered.
People admired her resilience—
a once-spoiled heiress who didn't wallow in misery but worked harder than anyone else.
Pretty, elegant, talented, now humble and diligent,
she had become a model student.
She even took part-time jobs to help pay her tuition.
Her story spread through the school like inspiration,
and she was repeatedly named an "Outstanding Student."
When people spoke of Qiao Wei now,
it was always with admiration.
The brighter Qiao Wei shone, the dimmer A Xin seemed beside her.
To others, she was just "the eternal number two"
—Qiao Wei's quiet friend, the one who always followed her.
Some tried to sow discord.
"Qiao Wei stole your spotlight," they whispered to A Xin.
"You should've been first. She's just using you."
A Xin's lips curved into a soft smile.
"Let her stand where everyone can see her,
in the brightest light—that's exactly what I wanted."
The girl who'd been trying to stir trouble froze, unsure what to say.
Just then, Qiao Wei happened to walk in.
She caught the tail end of that conversation,
and with her long strides and fierce look,
she scared the meddler off so fast the girl almost tripped over her own feet.
Qiao Wei snorted and threw an arm over A Xin's shoulders,pulling her close with a teasing grin.
"Little housewife," she joked.
But when she remembered A Xin's earlier words—"Let her stand in the brightest place, under everyone's eyes—that's my goal."—
her heart skipped a beat.
She bit her lip and glanced sideways at A Xin's face,
now even more beautiful than last year.
After the college entrance exam, she swore she'd finally lift those bangs
and see for herself just how beautiful that face really was.
"By the way," Qiao Wei said suddenly, eyes lighting up,
"I heard Lin Xiao'ai and Ji Jiang had a fight."
Her tone turned gleeful.
"I saw from a distance—Xiao'ai was crying, Ji Jiang looked furious,
like he'd swallowed something rotten.
Finally, karma!"
She then lowered her voice, smiling softly.
"Yun Xin, my dad went south for work, and business is picking up again.
Mom said after my exams, she'll go help him.
Turns out the Ji family was behind what ruined him before.
Now I finally understand… A man who fell from wealth to ruin—it's not easy to survive that. Some might even end it all.
"Maybe Dad drank just to keep himself from doing something stupid."
She smiled through a sigh.
"You know, Yun Xin, you're like my lucky goddess.
Ever since I met you, things have gotten better.
Maybe I should build a shrine for you and pray every day."
"Yun Xin, I want to go to a university down south.
If we end up at different schools, I'll really miss you."
"Where are you planning to go?"
A Xin curved her eyes in a soft smile.
"Wherever you go, I'll go."
"Really?"
"Really."
Overjoyed, Qiao Wei jumped up and threw her arms around A Xin,
planting a quick kiss on her cheek.
Then she froze, laughed awkwardly, and stepped back.
"Sorry! I got too excited."
Seeing A Xin didn't mind, she hurried back over and wiped her cheek.
"Anyway, we're both girls—it's fine to give you a kiss, right?"
Her gaze lingered on A Xin's face,
the soft red beneath the pale skin making her fingers itch with the urge to kiss again.
She tore her eyes away just in time.
"Oh right—Yun Xin, why does He Meili always avoid me? It's weird."
Since that incident long ago,
Qiao Wei had expected He Meili to cause trouble again.
Instead, every time they met, He Meili went pale,
trembled, and bolted like she'd seen a ghost.
A Xin lowered her eyes,
a cold glint flashing behind the lenses.
"You're the school's representative now.
Maybe the discipline director gave her a warning."—Or maybe she'd just been beaten enough already.
"Oh, I see…" Qiao Wei said easily.
"Being the teacher's favorite really isn't bad, huh?
Even when we're late, they come up with excuses for us!"
Time flew by.
Qiao Wei stayed number one all the way to the college entrance exams—and A Xin stayed exactly one point behind.
Walking into the exam hall, the two held hands.
Qiao Wei's lips curved into a small smile.
Everyone said she was a prodigy,
first in every subject, the perfect student.
But only she knew the truth—
there was someone even more brilliant beside her,
someone who never showed her full power.
The one who always trailed by a single point—that person was the real number one.
The ignorant would never understand.
Yun Xin…
A Xin….